Wire fabric.



H. RICHARDSON.

WIRE FABRIC.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 26, 1913.

1,189,291. P11511161 July 4, 1916.

tervals by wire cross links.

HENRY RICHARDSON, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

WIRE FABRIC.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 4:, 1916.

. Application filed April as, 1913. Serial no. 763,914.

T0 aZZ whom it may concern Be it known that I, HENRY RICHARDSON, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in WVire Fabrics, of which the following is a specification.

This'invention relates to wire fabrics, and has reference more particularlyto wire fabrics of the kind at present extensively used to form the bottoms of beds, couches, and like articles of furniture.

One type of bed and couch fabricnow widely employed is characterized structurally by the use of parallel longitudinal strands of interhooked two-ply bent wire units or links, connected transversely at in- The weakest point in this type of fabric usually resides V in the hooks by which the longitudinal units or links are connected up end to end, since the stretching strains imposed on longitudinal strands in service tend to pull or straighten out the free end portions of these hooks, and the capacity of the latter to resist these tension strains is very far below the tensional resistance capacity of the body portions of the units themselves. This necessitates the employment of a much heavier and stiffer wire than would otherwise be necessary. 7 v

The main object of my present inventlon is to provide a wire fabric structure of the type referred to that employs separate cross links to connect the longitudinal strands, and avoids the presence of hooks at the ends of the longitudinal units, thereby making it practical to employ a lighter gage of wire than has heretofore been possible in fabrics of this type, and thereby reducing both the weight and the cost.

l/Vith this and other minor objects in view, my invention resides in the novel fabric structure, and in the novel bent wire unit forming the basis thereof, substantlally as hereinafter described and definitely pointed out in the claims.

A fabric representing the best embodiment of the principle of my invention which I have thus far devised is illustrated in slightly difi'ering forms in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a plan vlew of a portion of a bed-bottom frame equipped with one form of my improved wire fabric, the latter being united to the longitudinal bars by rivets 13.

The end bars 11 and 1:2 have upstanding flanges apertured as usual for the reception of the end hooks of theusual helical springs 14 and 15, through which the ends. of the bed-bottom fabric, are commonly united with the cross-bars of the frame to furnish the desired resiliency and elasticity.

Referring now to the fabric itself, in which the novel features of the present invention reside, this fabric is made up, as to its longitudinal strands, of bent wire units, each of which comprises a two-ply tension member having one closed 'endformed by an integral bend joining the limbs of the two-ply tension member, and a two-ply loop at the other end, the ends of the wire forming the unit being anchored to the limbs of the tension member, and the closed end and the two-ply loop being for engagement with the two-ply loop and closed end, respectively, of longitudinally adjacent units. To complete the fabric separate cross-links are provided, having hooked ends, which flexibly engage and connect adjacent longitudinal strands of the fabric Considering more in detail the form of the invention shown in Figs. 1 and 2, 16 and 17 designate straight, substantially parallel lengths of wire constituting the two limbs of a two-ply tension member forming the main body portion of the unit, and connected at one end by an integral U-bend 18 that forms the closed end of the unit and serves both as a cross-connection for the limbs 16 and 17 and as a unit-connecting loop. At the other endof the member 16 the wire is bent downwardly and thence upwardly across itself (Fig. 2) forming one member 19 of a two-ply loop at this end of y the tension member, the wire extending thence in the form of ahorizontally disposed, laterallylprojecting loop 20 that overlies both the tension members 16 and 17 and has its free end clenched at 20 beneath the tension member 16. At the same end of the member 17 the 'wire is similarly bent downwardly and thence upwardly across itself, forming the other member 21 of a two-ply loop, the wire extending thence on the opposite side of the unit in the form of a hori- Zontally disposed, laterally projecting loop 22 that also overlies both tension members 16 and 17 and has its free end clenched beneath the tension member 17, as shown at 23. Preferably, and as herein shown, the two arms of one of the lateral loops 20 and 22 straddle the two arms of the other; the arms of the loop 22 being herein shown as lying between the arms of the loop 20.

24 designates the cross links which are simply short straight lengths of wire having hooked ends 25 (Figs. 3 and 4) that engage the opposite lateral loops 22 and 20 of adjacent longitudinal strands.

The mode in which the units are connected up in the fabric is readily apparent from the drawing. The closed ends or loops 18 of the transverse row of units at one end of the fabric are engaged by the hooks of the adjacent row of helical springs 14, and the loops 19 and 21 of the other transverse end row of units are likewise engaged with the hooks of the adjacent row of helical springs 15. Between the end rows theclosed ends or loops 18 of each transverse row are interlooped with the loops 19 and 21 of the next adjacent transverse row of units; and, as stated, the laterally projecting loops 22 of one longitudinal strand are flexibly connected to the oppositely extending lateral loops 20 of an adjacent strand by the cross links 24.

The described construction provides a fabric of the well known general type employing longitudinal strands made up of two-ply tension members and separate cross links connecting the same, but presents an improvement in that it entirely dispenses with open hooks or loops in the longitudinal strands, thus permitting the use of much lighter or finer wire.

Fig. 3 illustrates a modification of the structure of Figs. 1 and 2 wherein the laterally projecting loops 20 and 22 are formed as extensions of the vertically disposed closed loops 21 and 19, respectively, the loops 20 and 22- overlying and being clenched beneath the limbs 17 and 16', respectively, of the tension member, instead of each overlying both limbs of the tension member as in Figs. 1 and 2. Then the fabric is under load the tendency of the transverse strands, exerted through the cross-links 24, to spread the open ends of the units in the form shown in Fig. 3 is resisted by the closed end or loop 18 of the adjacent unit which passes through and' unites the loops 19 and 21.

In the form shown in Fig. 4, separate loops for the cross-link connections are dispensed with, and I employ a pair of loops 26 and 27 formed on the ends of the tension members 16 and 17, respectively, which loops may conveniently lie in planes oblique to the plane of the fabric, and are of sufficient size to receive both the closed end or loop 18 of an adjacent unit and the hooks 25 of the cross-links 24. The loops 26 and 27 are securely closed by carrying the wire across and thence clenching it beneath the limbs 16 and 17 of the tension member, as clearly shown. In this form also when the fabric is under load the closed end or loop 18 ties together the loops 26 and 27 against a tendency to pull apart under the cross pull of the transverse links 24.

By the described constructions the longitudinal units are held against stretching or spreading at the joints The structure of Figs. 1 and 2 is such as to cause the transverse strains exerted through the links 24 to bind together the two limbs of the tension members of the longitudinal links or units. In the structures of Figs. 3 and 4, the longitudinal tension draws together and prevents lateral stretching or spreading of the limbs of the tension members. By anchoring the free ends of the loops at the open end of the unit to the limbs of the unit themselves, either directly as in Fig. 4, or indirectly through the lateral loops, as in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, stretching, yielding or pulling out of these loops is impossible under maximum service strains. The chief object of the invention,-the employment of lighter wire than has heretofore been feasible, with the attendant reduction in weight and cost of material, is thus readily accomplished, while preserving all the benefits and advantages of this general type of fabric which has already gone into very extended use and has proved very successful in a practical and commercial way.

I claim- 1. A wire link fabric made up of integral bent wire units arranged in longitudinal and transverse rows, each of said units comprising a two-ply. tension member, the two limbs of which are integrally joined at one end forming a closed end for the unit, and a pair of terminal loops at the other end of said tension member interlooped with the 7 transverse rows, each of said units comprising a two-ply tension member, the two limbs of which are integrally joined at one end forming a closed end for the unit, a pair of laterally projecting loops intermediate the ends of the imit, and a pair of terminal loops at the other end of said tension member inter-looped with the closed end of an adjacent unit in the same longitudinal strand, the sides of said terminal loops each crossing itself, and the ends of the Wire forming each unit being anchored to the limbs of the tension member, and cross-links hooked at their respective ends into the laterally projecting loops of adjacent longitudinal strands.

3. A Wire link fabric made up of integral bent Wire units arrangedin longitudinal and transverse rows, each of said units comprising a two-ply tension member the two limbs of which are integrally joined at one end forming a closed end for the unit, a pair of closed loops at the other end of said tension member interlooped With the closed end of an adjacent unit in the same longitudinal strand, and a pair of laterally projecting loops constituting extensions of said closed end loops, respectively, and anchored to the limbs of the tension member, and cross-links hooked at their respective ends into the laterally projecting loops of adjacent longitudinal strands. V

4. As an article of manufacture, an integral bent Wire unit, comprising a two-ply tension member the tWo limbs of Which are joined at one end forming a closed end of the unit, a pair of laterally projecting loops intermediate the ends of the unit, and a pair of terminal loops at the other end of said tension member, the sides of said terminal loops each crossing itself, and the ends of the Wire forming the unit being anchored to the limbs of the tension member.

5. As an article of manufacture, an integral bent Wire unit, comprising a two-ply tension member the two limbs of Which are joined at one end forming a closed end of the unit, a pair of closed loops at the other end of said tension member constituting extensions of the limbs of the latter, and a pair of laterally projecting loops constituting extensions of said closed loops and each anchored to said tension member.

HENRY RICHARDSON.

Witnesses:

SAMUEL N. Porn), EDMUND G. INGERsoLL.

01min of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents.

Washington, D. G." 

